Because We Can ...

The only thing constant in life is change and, as summer abruptly surrenders to autumn, what better time to discuss it.

These days it seems that many of my contemporaries are proving the adage to be true. My friends are retiring, selling their homes, travelling, changing partners … taking what appear to be great leaps of faith.

You don’t get to rehearse when you jump off a ledge and there’s no way to test drive an alternate life style or situation; but, if you are piloting your own life, sometimes you just have to do it.

Those who watch from the comfort of their cosy and familiar houses and careers look at the leapers and often ask why. Why would you want to move to a farm? Why would you give up that job? There are numerous answers to those questions because there have probably been numerous triggers and reasons conspiring to make such changes in a person’s life seem right; these are not whims. However, the bottom line is that for most of us making new and sometimes baffling (to others) changes, we do it simply ‘because we can’. We’re lucky that way.

Some choices, however, are not of our own making and these too become more apparent as I look around at my contemporaries who are suddenly struggling with new and serious health problems, job redundancies, reduced incomes, widow(er)hood, empty nest … and so on and so forth. These changes were not invited; life chose them. But, leaps of faith are required here also. And stepping out of the passenger seat, back into the driver’s seat is still a choice … because we can (and have to!). The driver’s seat may look and feel a little different and the route we’re following may have taken an unexpected detour but … but we have to keep our hands on the wheel … because we can.

Change is as inevitable as birth, death and taxes and, we’re told, we’re never given more than we can handle. So, no matter what it is, whether it’s welcome or not, we will rise to whatever occasion or circumstance befalls us simply because … we can.